OTAP looks to finalize Downtown Action Plan Tuesday

As the new year kicks off, the Old Town Action Plan Committee will convene Jan. 8 to tackle the finalizing of the Downtown Action Plan at City Hall.The OTAP committee may remain largely intact despite the departure of four planning commissions and the appointment of their replacements at the Dec. 19 city council meeting....

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By Jack Barnwelljbarnwell@ridgecrestca.com

Ridgecrest Daily Independent - Ridgecrest, CA

By Jack Barnwelljbarnwell@ridgecrestca.com

Posted Jan. 4, 2013 at 1:30 PM
Updated Jan 4, 2013 at 1:41 PM

By Jack Barnwelljbarnwell@ridgecrestca.com

Posted Jan. 4, 2013 at 1:30 PM
Updated Jan 4, 2013 at 1:41 PM

RIDGECREST

Ridgecrest Mayor Dan Clark confirmed this Wednesday over the phone.

“All the members had a history of working on the committee” Clark said. “It was decided it was best to have that continuity.”

City Planner Matthew Alexander said he still needed to confirm with some OTAP members and the city council.

“The unofficial decision has been to keep the current OTAP membership active,” he said in an email.

The committee will move forward on reviewing sections of the Down Town Action Plan, which was established in 2010.

While still only 65 percent finished, the plan is expected to finish with the recent unveiling of the proposed “Balsam District” at its Nov. 27 public hearing.

Alexander is in the process of integrating the brand into the Downtown Action Plan.

“The intent will be to incorporate the Balsam District brand into the approved Action Plan,” Alexander said in an email Wednesday. “There will be some discussion of this on January 8.”

However, Alexander stressed the importance that the committee would not be voting on anything involving the Balsam District brand.

The brand was put together by marketing consultant Ron Smith, who was elected to the state assembly in November. Smith was instrumental in the development of the Boulevard, Lancaster’s own downtown revitalization, while he served as a planning commissioner and later its vice mayor.

“The staff and OTAP members will have to do some more research and thinking about the proposed brand before taking action,” Alexander said.

With two tag lines — “Skies the Limit” and “The Perfect Landing” — and art deco-inspired theme appealing to the city’s aerospace roots, the brand’s goal is to help revitalize the downtown Ridgecrest area around Balsam Street and parts of Ridgecrest Boulevard.

The ultimate goal is to create a place that will appeal to people in the 25-40 age group as a means of keeping them in town instead of heading to areas like Lancaster or Los Angeles.

The Downtown Action Plan itself, a product of committee meetings and research, outlines the objectives and overall layout for the proposed revitalization effort.

While Balsam Street is considered the historic downtown of Ridgecrest, with many of its small businesses stretched between Ridgecrest Boulevard and Argus Avenue, the initial draft plan indicates the Old Town Action Plan will include Ridgecrest Boulevard between Norma Street and China Lake Boulevard and the Balsam Street business area.

“The fundamental objective of this planning process is to ensure a program that encourages good design, promotion and community pride in Old Town, Ridgecrest’s historic and cultural heartland,” the action plan states.

Page 2 of 2 - There is some concern over how the city could fiance this, especially given that the city no longer has a redevelopment agency to help finance projects.